In a conventional method of garment construction, pieces of various shapes and sizes are cut from stock material according to a pattern and then sewed together to form a garment. In an effort to minimize fabric loss, the pieces are laid out and, in so far as possible, fitted together on the fabric in the manner of a jigsaw puzzle. However, even with the use of computers, a material utilization of 80% is considered good. As the pieces for the most part do not have straight edges, they cannot be laid along the edge of the fabric so as to utilize the selvage as a finished edge and thereby reduce edge finishing operations. Moreover, edges of adjacent pieces are not usually coincident so as to make possible a single cut between the pieces.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,933 there are disclosed garments formed by bands of material which are wound helically and have adjacent edges of successive convolutions of the material joined along helical junction lines to form the garment. The garments disclosed include dress-type garments such as dresses, slips, blouses, coats, jackets, nightgowns, hostess coats, skirts, and other sheath-type garments for covering or partially covering the torso and in some cases the legs of a wearer. This patent also discloses pants-type garments such as pants, slacks, jeans, shorts, cullottes, overalls, coveralls and similar garments which have a body portion covering at least the lower portion of the torso and leg portions individually covering at least portions of the legs of a wearer. Garments of this construction represent an important improvement over earlier garments made by using patterns to cut pieces of various sizes and shapes from fabric material and then sewing the pieces together to form the garment.